The Property Man


The Property Man is a short 1914 American comedy silent film made by Keystone Studios starring Charlie Chaplin.

Plot

Chaplin is in charge of stage "props" and has trouble with actors' luggage and conflicts over who gets the star's dressing room.
Small caricatures on the wall indicate both the stars and the head of what is most likely Charlie Chaplin with the word "PROPS" below.
Once the dressing-room issue is resolved the next issue is getting everyone on stage with the correct backdrop.
The order of performance is:
During the performances we see the audience reaction throughout, ranging from delight to booing.
Backstage Charlie and an old man fight, often disrupting the on-stage performances. The audience also breaks into a fight, and a hose brought out behind the scenes ends up squirting over them.

Reviews

A reviewer from Bioscope wrote, "There are so many uproariously absurd situations in this Chaplin comic, all consequent upon the ardent desire of our friend 'Props' to run the whole of the affairs 'behind' that the vaudeville entertainment becomes one long chapter of unrehearsed happenings, much to the delight of an audience of which comical Mack Sennett forms a distinguished member."
A negative review of The Property Man came from Moving Picture World regarding some of the slapstick action in the two reels. The reviewer opined, "There are very few people who don't like these Keystones. They are thoroughly vulgar and touch the homely strings of our own vulgarity. They are not the best pictures for parlor entertainment, that is true. There is some brutality in this picture and we can't help feeling that this is reprehensible. What human being can see an old man kicked in the face and count it fun?"

Cast